Research Consultant MENA – IRC VPRU

Purpose

IRC is working in consortium with other partners from the MENA region on a Project to facilitate local CSOs to advance gender-transformative education and empowerment for marginalized adolescent girls, rooted in sustainable and locally driven approaches. The Project includes a mixed-methods research component grounded in the socio-ecological framework to target/respond to the following research questions:

·How do existing policies and legal frameworks support or impede girls' access to education, and what effects do these policies have on the quality and inclusivity of educational opportunities for girls in Lebanon and Jordan? 

·How do existing policies enable or challenge the work of local organizations working on girls’ access to education? How do social and economic systems of power and privilege influence access to education by adolescent girls and in what ways do they manifest within the policy spectrum on girls’ education?

·What roles do local organizations play in shaping policies and influencing social norm change related to girls’ education, and how do they link with policymakers and other stakeholders in the education sector?

The IRC is looking for a consultant based in Jordan and a consultant based in Lebanon to lead the research work in the two countries. The research consultant(s) will be responsible for the coordination of research activities in collaboration and under the supervision of the Project consortium and in close partnership with the members of the consortium. The consultant(s) will be expected to refine and contextualize the research questions, develop a suitable research methodology, and lead the implementation of data collection and analysis as well as relevant dissemination activities.

Specific responsibilities to be led by the research consultant include:

·Refine research questions with the Project partners;

·Develop a suitable methodological approach to answer the identified questions;

·Develop relevant consent and assent forms, data collection instruments and research protocols;

·Obtain ethical approval by relevant institutions in Lebanon and Jordan;

·Conduct data collection activities and analyses;

·Facilitate validation of research findings in collaboration with the Project Consortium partners and CSOs;

·Contribute to relevant publications and dissemination activities.

Deliverables

The specific list of deliverables will be agreed at contracting stage with the selected candidate.

Qualifications and Expertise

The IRC is seeking applications from individuals meeting the following requirements:

·Individual should have a Master degree in social sciences, public health, statistics or other relevant discipline;

·Experience in leading research in education, women’s empowerment, child protection in Lebanon and/or Jordan;

·Demonstrated experience coordinating data collection activities with children and adolescents;

·Demonstrated understanding of ethical considerations for working with children and feminist principles of research;

·Demonstrated experience in conducting data analysis;

·Demonstrated experience in working as part of large consortia or collaborations;

·Ability to establish good relationships and rapport with stakeholders and partners and maintain networks outside the organization.

·Excellent oral and written communication, including proven success communicating in challenging contexts;

·Language proficiency in Arabic,  English and French.

·Right to work in their respective location (Jordan and Lebanon)

Consultants from global majority countries are encouraged to apply

A more detailed ToR will be shared with the selected candidate.